


How To Play The Game

by chatonbug



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Drama, Eating Disorders, F/M, Falling In Love, Frenemies, Friendship, High School, Popularity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-22
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-08-23 21:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8343889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chatonbug/pseuds/chatonbug
Summary: It's been 4 years since best friends, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Chloè Bourgeios, have seen each other. However, when an unlikely coincidence happens and Marinette ends up at the same school as Chloè, will it be a tearful reunion for these long lost best friends? Or will their friendship go up in flames?





	

“You can’t be serious.”

Marinette’s mouth was dropped to the floor. She couldn’t believe what her parents were telling her. She immediately thought they were playing some joke on her, but their excitement looked genuine. Also, she knew they would never get her hopes up like this just to crash them down. 

“We’re going to Paris,” Marinette told herself quietly. She then looked up to her parents with an outstretched grin and sparkling blue bell eyes. “We’re going to Paris!” She leapt up to hug her mama and papa while giggling gleefully. “You know who’s in Paris?” Marinette asked. She didn’t notice her papa’s confused glance and her mama’s strained smile as she answered herself, “Chloe!” 

“You’re still friends with her?” her mama asked her. 

Marinette fought the urge to roll her eyes. Her mama never liked Chloe. Not even when they were babies. She was always complaining about how pushy she was, and how Marinette needed to find some other friends. It always annoyed her because Chloe was her best friend and still is.

“Yes, Mama. We’re best friends for life!” 

“But didn’t you say that she wasn’t answering your calls or emails? Plus you haven’t seen her in 4 years. Wouldn’t a real best friend have visited you by now?”

This time Marinette really did roll her eyes. “She probably has a good reason for not answering me and you know that Chloe doesn’t have the kind of money to fly all the way out here.”

“Her mom didn’t have that kind of money, but her dad probably does. He is the mayor of Paris after all,” her mama explained to her softly, but Marinette refused to listen. Chloe and she have been best friends since they were in diapers, and her mother had no right to say that she wasn’t a real best friend. 

~~~

It’d been almost a week that Marinette was in Paris, and so far, all she had done was fix her bedroom up to her liking. However, judging by the little bit of Paris that she had managed to see on her trip here, she could tell that the place was beautiful.

“That’s a lot of pictures of you and Chloe.”

Marinette jumped a little when hearing her papa’s voice from behind her, but quickly regained her composure. “Yeah, maybe I put a bit too much, but I can’t help it! I’m just so excited to see her again!”

“I can tell. You talk about her like she was your only friend,” her papa commented, not realizing that what he said could’ve offended her.

Fortunately, Marinette didn’t take offense from it. “She kinda was my only friend,” Marinette admitted. “It’s not easy getting friends when your homeschooled.” In fact, the only reason Chloe was her friend was because her mother and Sabine were close friends during college. It’s not like Marinette never had any other friends, it’s just that Chloe was the only one that stuck around. 

“Well that’s why we’re enrolling you in public school this year,” her papa announced, causing Marinette to almost fall off her bed. 

“No way!” Not only was she living in Paris, but now she was going to be attending public school. She was finally getting a chance at making real friends, and maybe, if she was lucky, she would be going to the same school as Chloe. Marinette imagined new daydreams of bumping into Chloe during school and gossiping with her about the popular people and basically just being able to be best friends again. “What school am I going to?” Marinette asked hesitantly. She wanted to know if she would be attending the same school Chloe was, but she knew she’d be crushed if she found out she wasn’t.

“Well, your mother and I were thinking of Louis County Day. It’s a private school, and it’ll definitely cost us some money, but it’s one of the best schools in the city. Plus, it’s right by our house so you can just walk there.”

Marinette’s large intake of air almost caused her to choke, but she didn’t care. She had never remembered being this lucky in her life. “That’s the school Chloe’s at! Oh my god! When do I start attending? Tomorrow?”

Her papa chuckled before saying, “Tomorrow’s Saturday. You’ll start on Monday.” He kissed her forehead before leaving her alone in her new room to let her bask in her excitement. 

Monday couldn’t come quick enough.

~~~

Marinette stood in front of the large building that was towering over her and wondered why she was even excited to go here in the first place. Then she remembered that her best friend was here and there was nothing to worry about because soon she’d come and take Marinette under her wing. She just had to find her first. 

As Marinette walked closer to her new school, she held her handbook tightly to her chest. She read the stupid book three times yet she was still confused by how this school operated. That’s why she really needed Chloe by her side right now. If only she would’ve answered her calls. Then she would’ve known that Marinette was here and in need of guidance. 

“Watch out, dude!” 

Marinette quickly dodged out of the way of a student zooming by. It took her by surprise, but luckily, her reflexes reacted fast enough to prevent any collision. 

“Are you alright?” Marinette recognized the voice as the same one that told her to watch out.

“Yeah, I am. Thanks to you,” She grinned as she held out her hand. “I’m Marinette.”

She noticed the kid stare down at her hand with a weird expression for a few moments before taking it and saying, “Nino.”

“Can you show me where the office is? I’m new here,” Marinette explained. 

“Yeah, follow me.”

While walking to the office, Nino asked Marinette a lot of questions. He asked her where she came from, why she moved, how she thought of Paris so far, and a bunch of others. It definitely overwhelmed Marinette a little since she never held a conversation with a boy this long in her entire life. But Nino was chill and wasn’t intimidating at all to talk to. She could actually see them being friends, and her coming to like this huge, crazy school.

After going to the office to get her schedule, Nino showed Marinette to her locker which was conveniently nearby his and his other friend. In fact, they were waiting on his other friend so that he could introduce them to each other. 

“So what’s your friend’s name?”

“It’s-” Nino never got to finish his statement because a curvy girl with the coolest hair Marinette had ever seen pushed him out the way.

“Move peasant. Alya has arrived,” She said before turning to look at Marinette. “Who are you?” She didn’t say it in a mean tone, but it was definitely demanding. Actually, everything about this girl was demanding. 

“I’m Marinette,” She introduced with a smile. “Nino? Is this the friend you’ve been telling me about?”

“I better be. I’ve never seen him hanging around any other friends before,” Alya said sassily. She had her hands perched upon her hips and a sly smile on her face. Marinette could practically feel the obvious difference of Alya’s sassy, sarcastic aura from Nino’s chill, laidback one.

“I have other friends than you! You’re not my only friend!” Nino said, getting defensive.

Alya cocked an eyebrow and stared at him in amusement. “Oh, really?”

As Alya and Nino continued their bickering, Marinette let her gaze fall onto the beautiful blonde boy that was leaned up against the lockers on the opposite side of the hallway. 

“Woah, who’s that?” Marinette asked. Nino followed the direction she was looking at and glared when seeing who she was staring at. 

“That’s Adrien Agreste. He’s a model,” Alya informed, “But don’t waste your time. He’s taken by the most popular girl at this school.”

“Plus, he’s a huge douche. I would know, I use to be his friend,” Nino added. 

“Those were some dark days,” Alya said, giggling when seeing Nino’s annoyed expression. 

“Oh, shut up! You were friends with Chloe during that time.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. The memory still makes me wanna barf in my mouth.”

“Chloe?” Marinette perked up. “You know Chloe Bourgeois?” Marinette felt herself get excited over this fact. If they knew who Chloe was, then maybe they could lead Marinette to her.

Alya snorted. “Who doesn’t?”

“How do you know who she is?” Nino asked.

“Her daddy’s the mayor, Nino. It shouldn’t surprise you that the little bitch is known outside of Paris.”

“Don’t call Chloe a bitch! She’s far from that!” That earned Marinette another snort from Alya. “And I don’t know her because of her dad. We’re best friends.” She stated the information proudly as if she’d just announced that she won a gold medal.

Both Alya and Nino gave Marinette a glance from head to toe, taking in her overalls, pigtails, and bare face before turning to look at each other with looks of disbelief.

“Okay, and Beyonce’s my mother,” Alya retorted. 

Before Marinette could say anything, Nino grabbed Alya’s attention by saying, “They’re coming this way.”

It was a scene straight out of one of those cliché teen movies where the popular girls come in and spread the sea of students to a part as if they were Moses. Marinette never thought something like that could ever happen in real life, but there it was, happening right before her eyes. She stared at the pretty brunette with the tanned skin before moving her eyes onto the fierce redhead with the mean look in her eye. Then, Marinette felt the wind get knocked out of her as she took in the skinny, tall, blonde girl standing in the middle of the other two. 

It was Chloe Bourgeois.


End file.
